OE-Arkansas Will Take Place March 11, 2022

28 Feb 2022

OE-Arkansas is an annual statewide gathering of librarians, faculty, and administrators interested in learning about open education and pursuing open educational initiatives for their respective institutions. The 2022 meeting is being hosted by the SouthArk Library at South Arkansas Community College, and will take place virtually on Friday, March 11, 2022 at the conclusion of National Open Education Week. OE-Arkansas will be held virtually via Zoom. All sessions will be recorded, and will include time for Q&A at the conclusion of each presentation. Individual session links will be sent out to registered participants on or before close-of-business on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Registration is FREE, but limited to 200 participants, and the registration deadline is Friday, March 4, 2022.

This year, OE-Arkansas includes presentations from open education leaders in Arkansas and across the country. Participants at all points in their OER journey will have the opportunity to learn about the advantages and challenges of open education and open pedagogy, the value and compelling potential impact of OER, how open education initiatives can be constructed and pursued at both the two-year and four-year college levels, as well as open education connections in the K-12 environment. Our speakers are as follows:

•          Dr. Michael Moore – University of Arkansas Fayetteville
•         Gabby Hernandez – University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
•          KEYNOTE – Cheryl Casey – University of Arizona
•          Dr. Cassandra Barnett – Arkansas Department of Education
•          Relinda Ruth – UA Cossatot

 Sign up here: https://www.southark.edu/oe-arkansas

Congratulations to the 2022 Arkansas Library Leadership Institute (All-In) Participants!

18 Feb 2022

We're excited to share with the ArLA community the 2022 class of Arkansas Library Leadership Institute (ALL-In)! Thirty librarians from across the state of Arkansas were selected from a pool of 59 applicants to participate in a year-long program designed to grow the next generation of library leaders in the state of Arkansas.

Participants selected for the 2022 Arkansas Library Leadership Institute represent 27 different organizations from across the state of Arkansas including K-12 schools, public libraries, community colleges, private colleges, four-year universities, and state agencies. Participants were selected in a competitive application process that required a written statement of the applicant’s vision of outstanding library service and how participation in the Institute would impact the participant’s contributions to his or her library and community.

The 2022 ALL-In Library Leadership Institute is made possible in part by funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) awarded to the Arkansas State Library by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

The full 2022 Arkansas Library Leadership Institute class is:

·         Allison Lightfoot, Central Baptist College, Conway, Ark.

·         Alyssa Eller, Harding University, Searcy, Ark.

·         Amy Shipman, Hot Springs World Class High School, Hot Springs, Ark.

·         Anna Sharon, Bentonville Public Library, Bentonville, Ark.

·         Ashdon Wilson, Pea Ridge Community Library, Pea Ridge, Ark.

·         Betsy Fisher, Clark County Library, Arkadelphia, Ark.

·         Carol Halbmaier, Osage Creek Elementary, Bentonville, Ark.

·         Matthew “Chance” Griebel, William F. Laman Public Library, North Little Rock, Ark.

·         Clare Graham, Mid Arkansas Regional and Malvern-Hot Spring County Library, Malvern, Ark.

·         David Anderson, Crossett Public Library, Crossett, Ark.

·         Jessica Humphrey, Grimsley Junior High School, Bentonville, Ark.

·         Jessica Kirk, Arkansas State Library, Little Rock, Ark.

·         Jill Henson, Garland County Library, Hot Springs, Ark.

·         Jim Curry, Fayetteville Public Library, Fayetteville, Ark.

·         Katie Adams, Central Arkansas Library System, Little Rock, Ark.

·         Leah Frieden, Fayetteville Public Library, Fayetteville, Ark.

·         Mary Spears Polk, Faulkner County Library, Conway, Ark.

·         Melissa Pay, Southside Elementary School, Cabot, Ark.

·         Michelle Washington, Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library System, Pine Bluff, Ark.

·         Misty Hawkins, Arkansas River Valley Regional Library System, Dardanelle, Ark.

·         Petrina Baker, Guy-Perkins Elementary School, Guy, Ark.

·         Rebecca Kidder, Saline County Library, Bryant, Ark.

·         Regina Dettra, Arkansas School for the Deaf, Little Rock, Ark.

·         Sarah Jefferson, Flippin High School, Flippin, Ark.

·         Sarah Mallory, Central Arkansas Library System, Little Rock, Ark.

·         Sonya Lemke, Arkansas Colleges of Health Education, Fort Smith, Ark.

·         Stacy Barker, Lonoke County Library System, Cabot, Ark.

·         Stephanie Sweeney, Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, Jonesboro, Ark.

·         Stephanie Guenther, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark.

·         Wendy Christy, Saline County Library, Benton, Ark.

ArLA February Member Spotlight: Lacy Wolfe

18 Feb 2022

Congratulations to Lacy Wolfe, ArLA’s February Member Spotlight! Here is what her nominator wrote: “Lacy has served as the ALA councilor representing Arkansas and Arkansas libraries for six years. This was a role, Lacy never took lightly. She served dutifully, because she truly cares about libraries, librarianship, and the communities they serve.  If that wasn't enough, Lacy took on an interim Library Director position in the most uncertain of times - uncertainty due to the pandemic, but also additional circumstances facing her institution. She stepped into the role with such grace. She is a hardworking and thoughtful leader in her library and beyond!”